Noninvasive Brain Stimulation on Memory in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment and History of Brain Injury

The University of Texas System (UT)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Traumatic Brain Injury; Mild Traumatic Brain Injury; Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Treatments: Device: High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; Device: Sham HD-tDCS

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT04504630

CDMRP-AZ190088 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

STU-2019-1769

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study will examine the efficacy of high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) and its influence on episodic memory in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and a history of Traumatic brain injury. Ten sessions of HD-tDCS to the dorsal anterior cingulate region is expected to result in improvements in episodic memory measures immediately following the last session and at a 3-month follow-up.

Enrollment: 26 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 50+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 50 and older
• Native English speakers
• 12 years of education or higher
• Active diagnosis of aMCI
• History of TBI based on VA/DOD criteria

Exclusion criteria

• TBI within the past 2 years
• Lifetime history of stroke, transient ischemic attack, heart attack, or congestive heart failure
• Lifetime history of epilepsy
• Major psychiatric disorders (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia)
• Substance use disorder
• Has metal fragments in head
• Taking medications that may interact with the HD-tDCS effect (i.e., amphetamines, L-dopa, carbamazepine, sulpiride, pergolide, lorazepam, dextromethorphan, D-cycloserine, flunarizine, or ropinirole)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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26 participants in 2 patient groups

Active HD-tDCS

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive 10 sessions of active stimulation (1 mA anodal HD-tDCS targeting dorsal anterior cingulate region for 20 minutes) across 2 weeks, with episodic memory tasks completed at baseline, immediate follow-up after session 10, and a 3-month follow-up.

Treatment:

Device: High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Sham HD-tDCS

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive 10 sessions of sham stimulation across 2 weeks, with episodic memory tasks completed at baseline, immediate follow-up after session 10, and a 3-month follow-up.

Treatment:

Device: Sham HD-tDCS